Athens is a must visit city. The view from the Acropolis is amazing. From this side you can see the Panathenaic Stadium and Temple of Olympian Zeus. |
From this side you can see the ancient Agora of Athens. |
Deep |
Hadrian's Arch. Emperor Hadrian built many buildings in Athens in the 100s A.D. |
Hadrian also completed the Temple of Olympian Zeus, started 600 years before by Athenian tyrants. |
The Acropolis Museum was purpose built to house stolen ancient works to be returned to Greece. This statue looks like Socrates. |
Pieces of the Parthenon. |
The oldest Gorgon found at the Acropolis from the 7th century B.C. |
The museum has great views of the Acropolis, but you really have great views from it anywhere in the city. |
The Theater of Dionysus, where many famous Athenian plays debuted. |
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, restored for performances today |
The Parthenon and Eretto at the top of the Acropolis hill. |
Despite the Turks accidentally blowing it up, the British did the most damage to the Parathon stealing the Elgin Marbles. |
The replanted sacred olive tree in front of the Erechtheion |
The Acropolis looks magnificent from any angle. |
Quite the centaur |
Kerameikos was an ancient suburb and graveyard of Athens. Many modern finds of ancient works from Athens actually come from Kerameikos. |
Burial goods have been found at Kerameikos from the 8th century B.C. |
An odd horse with urns |
Ancient warriors on a pot |
Bird vases |
Funerary stele |
Keramikos today |
Its also filled with turtles! |
More turtles! |
The Agora has many Athenian ruins, and rebuilt building called the Stoa of Attalos which houses a small museum. |
These ostrakon were prepared but never used as a conspiracy to vote Themistokles into ostracism from Athens. |
Its not a party unless you ride a donkey. |
What a bench! |
Mr. Hanimal |
Another great view of the Acropolis |
The Temple of Hephaestus |
Mosaic cat at Hadrian's Library |
Tzisdarakis Mosque |
The Horologion of Andronikos Kyrrhestes was an ancient weather station built in the Roman agora. |
One of Athens' many Byzantine churches |
One of the oldest Byzantine churches in Athens |
The National Archeological Museum houses treasures from across Greece. |
The Thinker, from Thessaly, circa 4500-3300 B.C. |
A collection of Venus figurines |
Cycladic figurines from 3200-2800 B.C. |
Mycenaean death masks from the 16th century B.C. |
A Mycenaean bull |
Mycenaean octopus pins |
Creepy |
Amazin detail on a 3500+ year old scabbard. |
Modern renditions of ancient Mycenaean wall painting |
Octopus! |
Fashion from 3500 years ago would still be fashionable today. |
A monumental grave-amphora from Kerameikos circa 750 B.C. |
A Kouros made of Naxian marble, common throughout Ancient Greece. This one is from 600 B.C. |
Ancient racism |
A bronze statue of Zeus or Poseidon from 460 B.C., known as the Artemision Bronze. |
A marble minotaur |
That one corner is a little odd. |
Another statue from the Artemision shipwreck |
An odd figurine |
Gryphons? |
Gryphons! |
Dwarf actors from the 1st century B.C. |
A fresco from Akrotiri, Santorini (Thera), the Minoan civilizations Pompeii in the 16th century B.C. |
The Antikythera Mechanism from the epoynymous shipwreck. |
The dog/bird motiff was common on Greek funeral stele. |
The Lyceum of Aristotle |
We saw a cat fight a praying mantis there. |
Action shot! |
The Byzantine and Christian Museum is top notch. |
A Byzantine stele from the Acropolis |
A piece of the pulpit from the Christian Parthenon |
A reproduced 14th century chrysobull from Monemvasia. |
Gryphons! |
About as badass as Byzantine art gets |
12th century Byzantine sphynxes. Not very Christian... |
A Byzantine rendition of the common ancient Greek motif of a lion attacking a deer. |
The Tree of Life, and lions |
"Preparation of the Throne," 14th century |
The red really pops |
The Byzantine church next to our hotel |
They are very dark and mysterious inside. |
The changing of the guard at the Greek Tomb of the Unknown Soldier |
The Museum of Cycladic Art has some very old figures, including the Zintilis idol from 3900-2500 B.C. |
"Plank-shaped figure," Cyprus circa 1900 B.C. |
A Cypro-Archaic pig rattle from ~500 B.C. |
The largest known ancient Cycladic figurine |
Athens has a great food scene. |
Pancetta, egg, avocado, and toast |
Fancy food at Spondi |
Cheese cart! |